In the Navy I stood through several change of command ceremonies.
The crew assembles. The orders are read aloud. Then two officers face each other, and the whole event comes down to a few words. One says, “I relieve you.” The other answers, “I stand relieved.”
Nothing about the moment is left unclear. Everyone on board knows who held the command a minute ago and who holds the command now.
The practice is far older than any navy. Near the end of his life, Moses asked for a successor so the people would not be left without a leader. Joshua had served beside him for years. Moses stood Joshua in front of the entire community and handed over authority where everyone could see. Then Moses stepped back. He never entered the land he had spent forty years leading people toward. Joshua did.
The idea. Share leadership, the last step of the LEADS Path, is not finished when others can run a meeting. The step is finished when the team can lose you and keep going. Moses got three things right. He prepared Joshua long before the need was urgent. He made the handoff public, so nobody wondered whose word counted. And he let go completely.
Many leaders treat a capable successor as a threat. The best ones treat a ready successor as proof the work was done well.
The action for this week. Answer one question in writing: if you were gone for ninety days starting Monday, who would lead? If a name comes to mind, give that person one of your responsibilities this week, and tell the team you did. If no name comes to mind, you have found your next project.
“Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”Joshua 1:5, ESV
Jake
P.S. Want to know how close your team is to leading without you? The Self-Check takes five minutes. Take the LEADS Self-Check.